


Two Weeks

by Tarlan



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Episode Related, Episode: s01e01-e02 Rising, Humor, M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-06-10
Updated: 2006-06-10
Packaged: 2017-10-21 19:17:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/228695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John met Rodney for the first time only two weeks earlier.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Weeks

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the **1 Bdr, Ocn Vu** zine.

The rhythmic caress of a gentle hand on his chest and the pressure of light kisses against his throat called Rodney McKay from a deep and restful sleep, the best sleep he'd had since arriving in the Pegasus galaxy. He sighed contentedly, having forgotten how it felt to wake up with the warmth of another body pressed against his side. As he turned his head to smile at his new lover, Rodney thought back to the day he saw Major John Sheppard sit in the Chair for the first time.

***

 **Two Weeks Earlier:**

Rodney experienced incredible envy and dismay as Carson Beckett ducked and dived in an attempt to avoid sitting in the Chair. He could not understand it. The man had the gene. Beckett had the gene of the Ancients, giving him the ability to activate their technology with a simple touch or thought, and yet, he cursed his gift, wishing it away on someone else. Anyone else.

If that wish could have been granted then, Rodney would have gone down on hands and knees, waving his naked ass in the air, and offering his body and everything else he possessed, just to be the recipient. He wanted it that much. He wanted to feel the power at his fingertips, wanted to become a part of the incredible machines from that long dead civilization.

With the gene, the possibilities for studying that amazing technology were limitless.

So was the destructive power, he discovered, when he eventually got Beckett to sit in the Chair. How the man could manage to activate a drone weapon was simply astounding and Rodney could only wonder at the terrifying thoughts that must have been going through Beckett's head when he took to the Chair.

Did he truly feel so threatened by the technology that his thoughts translated into such a defensive reaction?

Thankfully, Elizabeth was on hand with her infinite patience, quickly allaying Beckett's fears and helping him focus upon trying to shut down the drone before it killed somebody.

And not just anybody.

Sam Carter's going to kill me, Rodney thought wildly as he monitored the readings. If General O'Neill gets blasted out of the sky, well, forget Siberia...Sam Carter is going to send me on a one way ticket to the nearest quantum anomaly just to test out the tidal effects on the fragile human body. _My_ fragile body.

He looked back at the monitor when he heard Beckett's relieved cry, and Rodney breathed a huge sigh of relief, knowing he would live another day.

However, just to be on the safe side, Rodney made sure he stayed out of O'Neill's path until absolutely necessary. He was not certain if the General would remember him from the incident with Teal'c stuck in the Stargate buffer, or from his pathetic attempt to shut down the Stargate when Anubis attacked, resulting in Samantha receiving a massive feedback shock that burnt her hand. Worse, if O'Neill discovered that Rodney was the one responsible for Daniel's bruised ribs last week, when they slipped on ice and he fell on top of the archaeologist, Rodney would be branded a mortal enemy of SG1 after this latest disaster.

Of course, having just figured out the eight symbol address that could lead to the lost city of Atlantis, Daniel had other ideas and convened a meeting immediately. Fortunately, O'Neill seemed to have forgotten all about Rodney's previous track record with Teal'c and Samantha and, as no one mentioned Daniel's ribs or the fact that Rodney was the one to insist Beckett sat in the Chair, he relaxed.

Still, he should have known better than to believe his bad day was changing for the better.

Major John Sheppard of the United States Air Force had flown into his world along with Jack O'Neill and, forget the Goa'uld; to Rodney, this man was a god.

Any envy of Carson Beckett dissipated like the morning mists on the Scot's beloved Highlands when Sheppard produced a map of the solar system with barely a moment's hesitation.

"Did I do that?" Sheppard asked with childlike innocence.

Rodney swallowed his amazement. Forget offering his ass, if Rodney had been female he would have been on his knees begging to have Sheppard's babies by now. Instead, all he could do was prompt and prod the Major into more thoughts and stare in awe at the results.

An hour later, he was still pushing Sheppard back into the seat every time the man tried to climb out, requesting just one more test. He recalled Elizabeth's words...every time someone sits in it we learn something new about the Ancients. Well, Rodney had struck the motherlode with Sheppard. He had learned more in the past hour than in all the months since O'Neill had led them to this hidden Ancient outpost in Antarctica.

As he asked one more question, leaning over Sheppard to see if he could make out any inner circuits within the translucent, glowing headrest, he noticed it gained a darker hue. Rodney drew back a fraction and the color lightened. Ever the scientist, he tested it again by leaning even closer to Sheppard, his body well within Sheppard's personal space, almost lying across the man's chest in a far too intimate position for two people on a first acquaintance. In fact, he could feel the heat radiating off the exposed flesh of Sheppard's neck, and smell the natural scent of a man who obviously did not use aftershave. He breathed in deep.

Sheppard lurched up a fraction, nudging Rodney back a little. "You're breathing down my neck...literally."

Rodney steadied himself against Sheppard's shoulders, embarrassed by his lapse of concentration. "Sorry...I just wanted to see what's causing this...." He slipped, caught off balance when Sheppard rolled one shoulder, ending up with his cheek pressed tight against Sheppard's neck and their bodies in full contact as both of them scrabbled to get him back upright. The headrest flared a deep indigo for a second before powering off completely.

Sheppard almost dumped Rodney on his ass as he pushed off the chair.

"Okay...that's it. No more."

Rodney tried to block Sheppard from leaving, almost pleading with him, backing up as the man began to push past him only to feel a moment of shock when his foot met empty air instead of solid ground. He felt Sheppard grab for him as he teetered on the edge of the platform--and disaster--pulling him back upright and holding him tight until Rodney had regained his footing.

A frown of annoyance and embarrassment marred the handsome face as someone cleared their throat behind Rodney.

"Major Sheppard? If you don't mind unhanding Dr. McKay, might I have a word with you in my office?"

Rodney extricated himself from Sheppard's unintentional embrace and watched as Elizabeth led the Major away, using both her diplomatic and womanly charms on the man. He sighed deeply, still shaking from the shock of near disaster and the physical proximity of Sheppard's body.

"Rodney and the Major sitting in a tree...."

"Don't be so juvenile."

Daniel laughed softly and grabbed Rodney's elbow, steering him back towards the area Daniel had turned into a personal laboratory.

"Then close your mouth and stop staring at his ass...ets."

Rodney stopped in indignation. "For your information, *Doctor* Jackson, I was not staring at his ass..." Rodney winced as he corrected himself, "...His assets. I'm simply in awe of less visible attributes."

"So...You want into his genes?"

"How amusing. Your skill for double entendres astounds me...not!"

Daniel laughed again before changing the subject. Moments later they were deep in discussion on Ancient semantics, with Major John Sheppard temporarily forgotten.

***

A week later, Rodney found himself cradling his cat in his arms, petting its silken fur just once more before handing him over to his next door neighbor. The woman in question could barely stand the sight of him, calling him an arrogant pig on more than one occasion, but she loved his cat almost as much as he did.

He reached out one last time, letting his fingers drift through the soft fur, and then he turned and walked away, aware that he might never see his cat again. But this was the opportunity of a lifetime. The city of the Ancients was within their grasp and, if all his calculations were correct-- and it was highly unlikely that they were wrong--then he and Siler would have the ZPM linked to the Earth Stargate within a few hours from now.

By the end of this day, he might not even be in the same galaxy as his cat.

When he reached Cheyenne Mountain, Rodney was surprised by the number of people and the amount of equipment lining the hallways. The trickle of arrivals had turned into a deluge, with technicians and clerical staff rushing around with clipboards and PDAs, ticking off items on extensive checklists.

Threading between them were soldiers in uniforms from a dozen or more nations, the nationality flags on their left upper arm the only mark that set them apart from their counterparts. In all other ways they were the same. They had the same bearing and the same steely look in their eyes as the US military; a trait Rodney had become accustomed to seeing over the years.

"Must be something in the genes," he mumbled softly, wondering if all the scientists had a similar bearing and attitude to each other. Then he thought of Kavanagh, comparing him to Daniel Jackson. "No," he murmured and carried on walking.

As he maneuvered his way through the crowd with the few additional possessions he had allowed for himself, Rodney tripped over a badly positioned cart only to find his fall broken by a strong arm grabbing for him.

"Tha..." The gratitude froze on his lips as he came face to face with, "Major Sheppard?"

"Seem to be making a habit of this, Doctor."

"Yes...well..." he stuttered over his words, staring into intelligent, clear hazel eyes, before quickly looking away and clearing his throat. "If people stowed their equipment properly then I...."

"Dr. McKay!"

Daniel Jackson waved from along the corridor, beckoning him to speed it up. Rodney glanced back at the Major, who still had a tight grip on his arm. He looked down at the arm in question before raising his eyes back to the handsome face. Sheppard got the message and let go with a slightly chagrined expression.

"Rodney!"

"Yes, yes..., I'm on my way," he called back in irritation, stepping away but glancing back over his shoulder. "Glad you decided to join us, Major."

"Now that remains to be seen," Sheppard replied cryptically. Before Rodney could question the remark, Daniel called out again with even more impatience.

Rodney nodded once more in thanks, and continued on down the hallway, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach while his arm still tingled from the touch of Sheppard's strong fingers. Once he reached Daniel, he looked back along the corridor. Deep in thought, he touched his arm where Sheppard had grasped it, but the Major had disappeared into the sea of faces.

"Was that Major Sheppard?" Thankfully, Daniel did not wait for an answer as Rodney was not certain he could respond coherently on that subject. "You better get changed. Everyone's waiting for you."

"So nice to be popular," he remarked dryly. "Where's Samantha?"

Daniel pulled a funny face. "She's still off world with Teal'c, and she's a little upset on missing out on all this excitement."

"Hmm...it is pretty exciting," Rodney grinned, rubbing his hands together as he looked about him, suddenly aware of the electric charge in the atmosphere as people bustled around them. His grin faded slightly when he thought he saw the slightly familiar, unruly dark hair of Major Sheppard above the crowds in the corridor. Then he noticed the soldier was wearing khaki rather than the Air Force blue and felt strangely disappointed.

Not Sheppard then.

"Come on." Daniel chivvied him along the corridor to a slightly quieter section that housed personnel quarters. He sat down impatiently on the bed in Rodney's on-base room while Rodney changed into the uniform designed for the Atlantis expedition.

"So you're not coming?"

"No."

"Logical, I suppose."

"Logical?" Daniel pushed up his glasses with one finger and frowned. "We *are* talking about Jack O'Neill?"

Crossing his arms, Daniel looked more than a little annoyed, but Rodney understood O'Neill's reasoning. If he allowed Daniel to go on the Atlantis expedition then the General would have to go too, because Jack O'Neill was not about to let his lover go off to another galaxy without him. And if O'Neill went, then so would Teal'c and Samantha Carter because they were O'Neill's team even though he rarely went into the field with them these days.

However, Teal'c was needed in this galaxy to lead the Jaffa in their rebellion against the Goa'uld system lords and Samantha Carter was heavily involved in the Daedalus project; Earth's first spaceship that would be capable of intergalactic travel. There were equations that only she or Rodney could solve, unless they gained more help from Thor's people, and Rodney was already committed to the Atlantis expedition. That meant O'Neill needed to stay behind to support Teal'c and Samantha, and hence, Daniel was barred from going.

"Yes. Logical. Do you need me to explain it again?"

Daniel waved a hand in continued annoyance. "No."

He looked Rodney up and down, with blue eyes glinting in approval of the beige jacket with blue panels that denoted Rodney as part of the scientific contingent; Daniel stood up. Taking two quick steps forward, he hugged Rodney and Rodney slipped his arms around Daniel in return, both of them knowing this would be the last chance to say goodbye in private. Rodney was still amazed at the unexpected friendship that had developed between them in such a short time. He would miss Daniel's easy nature and convoluted theories even though he grouped Daniel's discipline in with the rest of the social and voodoo sciences.

Letting go, Daniel reached for one of Rodney's cases. "I'll help you get these down to the gate room." He frowned at the weight. "What have you got in here? Textbooks?"

Rodney gave him a weak smile as he picked up the one bag he intended to keep with him until they reached Atlantis. Together, they headed back out into the crowded corridors to stow his cases with the rest of the equipment destined for the Pegasus galaxy.

***

A short time later, Rodney interfaced the ZPM with the human systems running the Stargate, sending a joyful grin Siler's way before heading back up to the control room in time to watch the final symbols lock into place--all eight of them. He spared the quickest flicker of a smile for Daniel before taking a seat to check the MALP telemetry. A place with breathable atmosphere lay beyond the Stargate and he looked to O'Neill, waiting for his decision.

Within seconds, O'Neill gave them the go ahead, and Rodney followed Elizabeth into the gate room. He found himself standing right behind Major Sheppard as Colonel Sumner made the first few steps towards the event horizon with his team backing him up. He knew he ought to be focusing on Sumner, watching history in the making, but his gaze kept sliding to Sheppard, sizing up the broad shoulders and the unruly hair, catching the occasional glimpse of flesh as Sheppard turned his head. When he realized what he was doing, Rodney forced his eyes away to watch Elizabeth disappear into the Stargate. He waited impatiently for the final command for everyone else to move out and it came moments later to Rodney's everlasting relief as he did not think he could stand behind Sheppard for much longer and still resist the urge to reach out and touch the nape of his neck.

Sheppard and the young lieutenant by the name of Ford went up next and Rodney took a deep breath before picking up his bag and walking up the ramp a little way behind them. This was it; the point of possibly no return. He glanced back over his shoulder, meeting Daniel's eyes and offering a silent goodbye before taking his first ever step across the event horizon.

Emerging on the other side, Rodney looked in awe at the large, darkened room, his eyes flicking from one side to another as the lights started to come on. Stepping to the side of the gate, he followed on behind the now familiar figure of Major Sheppard, staying just one step behind him as they climbed a grand staircase towards an upper level. Alternate risers lit up as soon as Sheppard placed his foot on the bottom step, with the rest following as he took one more step upwards.

In the slight echo of the darkened room, Rodney heard Elizabeth ask who was switching on the lights and he had his theory. Reaching the top of the stairs, more lights activated when Sheppard moved into the next room though Sheppard had no idea that he was, most likely, the cause. The city was reacting to the Ancient gene, welcoming her people home. More lights came on as others with the gene entered the lost city and moved in different directions, following Sumner's order to find someplace clear of the disembarkation area and wait for instructions.

Rodney felt another twinge of envy for those lucky few who carried the gene, but it was quickly subdued by the magnificence of the slowly brightening room surrounding him. Stepping up behind Sheppard, he looked back across the gate room in total awe as people and equipment streamed through the Stargate. After the last person had stepped through, Elizabeth sent greetings back to Earth, asking them to cut power to the gate to conserve what remained in the ZPM on Earth. Something rolled across the floor as the gate shut down, and Elizabeth stooped to pick it up before glancing back up at the control room where Rodney stood watching with John Sheppard. She joined them on the top tier, holding a magnum of champagne; her face still filled with amazement. She placed the bottle down carefully on the floor beside the console.

From the corner of his eye, Rodney noticed Sheppard approaching a large screen, and it flared into life as it sensed the Major's presence. Rodney smirked at both the nervous expression on Sheppard's face and Elizabeth's incorrect assumption that the city was coming alive all by itself.

Perhaps he would enlighten them both later.

Impatiently, he set to work, recognizing the crystal technology lying beneath the static sheets. These had to be the consoles used to control both the Stargate and the city's main computer, but there was only one way to find out for certain. Rodney enthused over each console in turn, drawing Elizabeth along behind him, knowing Sheppard would follow her, his mere presence initializing the controls without conscious knowledge. Rodney glanced up when he heard Colonel Sumner requesting Elizabeth's presence and could not help feeling a sense of loss when Sheppard left with her. Pushing that emotion aside, he touched a few of the control crystals, smiling as a schematic of the city came up on the large monitor. Suddenly, all those additional lessons on the Ancient language with Daniel bore fruit as he read the data streaming past with ease, hardly able to believe what it was telling him.

"This is amazing," he murmured, only tearing his eyes away when Carson called to him from the corridor beyond.

"Rodney? I've found a greetings message from one of the Ancients."

"I'll get Elizabeth."

Three levels down from the control room, Rodney saw Sheppard's outline against the blue-green glow from beyond a large window. He gravitated towards him, only taking his eyes off the handsome man when the awe in Sheppard's voice made him look through the window into the vista beyond. Caught by the amazing view, Rodney pressed forward against the muscular body only to jolt back when he realized what he was doing. The strength of his reaction to the feel of John Sheppard's lean, strong frame against his had startled Rodney, and he looked away nervously but Sheppard remained oblivious, still staring out into the depths of the ocean.

As Rodney trailed back towards the room Beckett had located, he felt more than a little shocked, mentally willing down the erection tightening his pants before anyone should notice. He had not felt this powerful an attraction to another man in years, but he could not deny the sensations that rocked his body as he pressed in close to John Sheppard.

He could only hope that Sheppard had not registered his arousal and taken offense because even a city this large would be too small for him to hide in if that was the case.

Twenty-four hours later, much of the euphoria of Atlantis had worn off as the first name was placed on the list of the dead. Considering how bad it could have been if the city had not risen back to the surface, Elizabeth called for a celebration.

Standing beside Carson Beckett, Rodney watched as the beautiful Athosian leader touched foreheads with Sheppard while Beckett lamented the fact that it was Sheppard and not him. Rodney's thoughts followed a similar path, but Teyla Emmagan was the one he envied. Unable to contain the dull ache in his chest as she glanced coyly at the Major. Rodney made some excuse about the possibility of there being lemon on the chicken and walked away.

Tomorrow he would begin his research on this amazing lost city of the Ancients, and he hoped that would be enough to keep his mind from dwelling on the loss of one small dream.

***

John Sheppard stretched languidly and rolled onto his side, wrapping an arm over the body lying naked beside him. He let the fine chest hairs card through his fingers, stroking the perfect flesh lying beneath in lazy circles before leaning in to nuzzle the warm neck. The rasp of bristles against his lips, set his lips to tingling. He breathed in deeply, savoring the heady scent of their lovemaking; sweaty, pungent… and all masculine. With a sigh of contentment, John considered how much his life had changed in just two week.

***

 **Two Weeks Earlier:**

If the US Air Force had thought it was punishing John Sheppard by sending him to the Antarctic, then it was sorely mistaken. He liked the barren expanse of ice and snow and thought he could be content to play out the rest of his military career ferrying people and equipment between McMurdo and the nameless scientific base. What he had not anticipated was coming under friendly fire while transporting General O'Neill to that base.

He watched as O'Neill scooped up the weird looking missile that had almost brought them down, taking great care not to handle it too roughly. The General held it on his lap uneasily as they completed the journey but John could not stop his eyes from flitting towards it, having never seen its like before. When they landed, a scientist with a clipped British accent took it off O'Neill's hands, much to John's relief, and O'Neill's, too, if that ragged sigh was anything to go by. Normally, John waited topside with the helicopter, but O'Neill insisted on him accompanying him down inside the base this time, only to leave him at a loose end when they reached the bottom of a deep shaft.

John looked around in awe at the strange yet beautiful architecture, knowing this was not some simple multi-national science base studying ice core samples as he had been led to believe. Intricate carvings and filigree workmanship spoke of a civilization long dead and yet he could see echoes of a dozen or more ancient empires within it. He wandered through a busy corridor that led to a larger room. In the center was an elaborate throne on a raised dais and beside it, a man with a Scots accent was crowing over how he had managed to switch off the weird missile that had almost killed John and the General.

It took but a moment to realize that this gentle Scot was genuine in his apologies, though John had no idea what the man was talking about when he spoke of alien outposts and a Stargate. Still, with only a little persuasion, John had the man talking animatedly about ancients and a special gene. All the while, his eyes were transfixed by the amazing chair, unable to prevent his fingers from touching the strange gel-like pads on the armrests. He felt an irresistible urge to sit down in the chair and with a quick grin, he gave into it, discovering too late that he was a carrier of the rare gene that enabled him to work the alien technology.

And his world had changed in that instant.

He froze as the chair tilted backwards, feeling something strange crawling through his mind, feeding him images and sensations that defied explanation. People came running immediately and he felt uncomfortable when General O'Neill stood over him with a reprimand falling from his lips, but John could not explain the urge that had called him to disobey the order not to touch anything.

That was when he saw Dr. Rodney McKay for the first time.

In his bright red jacket, he stood out among the drab colors of the others, setting off the broadness of his shoulders perfectly. The man's eyes were focused intently on John and John sensed a little dismay as he gazed across at him but McKay seemed to get over it pretty quickly. Then he spoke, preventing any other reprimands from falling from O'Neill's lips, his hands moving in controlled motion, as if trying to describe his thoughts with them. His voice was strong and self-assured and John's gaze flickered to his lips, liking the way they enunciated each word. He liked those lips, and he liked that mouth, with its crooked slant that begged to be evened with kisses.

John looked back up at the ceiling, focusing on what the man was asking of him so he could force away the heated thoughts that were firing through his brain. He was taken aback when the air above him formed an amazingly detailed picture of the solar system.

An hour later, John regretted taking comfort in the strong, encouraging voice for he was still seated in that chair, unable to escape the relentless pushing as McKay asked question after question. Perhaps O'Neill had seen being used as a lab rat for an overly excited scientist as a fitting punishment for him disobeying that direct order, but John was tired of 'thinking' on demand.

When McKay leaned over John suddenly, the feel of the man’s broad frame draped across him brought John to instant aching hardness. The warmth of McKay's breath upon his neck sent shivers racing through him, and the brush of hot flesh against flesh set his blood to boiling. John tried to nudge the man away before he noticed the hardness at his groin, but McKay slipped, the full weight of his warm body falling on to John in the most intimate way possible. John thought he felt the heat of an erection pressed against him but he couldn’t be sure if it was for him or for the technology. For all he knew, all scientists got a hard-on when they saw something as exciting as a chair lighting up and, certainly, Rodney McKay was bubbling over with wonder and excitement at his new discoveries.

So, instead of giving in to the temptation, John shoved Rodney away as if burnt and pushed out of the chair. However, it seemed McKay was not about to lose his latest guinea pig and as John tried to maneuver past him, McKay teetered on the edge of the platform. Instinctively, John reached out and caught the scientist, finding himself with an armful of scientist, and looking deep into startled, fear-filled eyes that were the most amazing blue John had ever seen. Those eyes held an incredible intelligence and yet were filled with a myriad of emotions. Excitement and fear, curiosity and knowledge, expectation and disappointment were all battling for supremacy within those beautiful eyes. McKay was a bundle of contradictions that fascinated and intrigued John even as his body reacted to McKay's physical presence.

Less than a week later he was back in the States, sitting on the grass in a favorite thinking place, flipping a coin into the air. Heads, he would return to McMurdo and forget all about those amazing eyes and the man behind them. Tails, he would take a chance to see if something more could come out of this attraction. The coin came down heads so he flipped it again, and again, until it showed tails, before laughing at his foolishness. Rodney McKay had invaded his thoughts since the moment he met the guy and the thought of never seeing him again, of never discovering if this chemistry he felt between them could lead to something far greater, was unacceptable. John pushed off the grass and jogged back to his bike, appreciating the throb of the powerful engine between his legs before pulling on his helmet and driving off. He had made his decision, and he just hoped he wouldn’t live to regret it.

Just a few more days later and John found himself inside a legend, staring out a large picture window into the depths of an alien ocean. Yet even the awe of seeing the city spread out before him with the water held back seemingly by magic, did not prevent him from sensing Rodney's approach. To Weir and Sumner, the transparent material was non-reflective, but his window altered almost with his will, revealing wide-eyed wonder as Rodney leaned forward to take a look, followed by Rodney's total embarrassment when he realized he was in John's personal space once more.

It felt good though, feeling the warmth of Rodney's body radiating through the layers of their clothing, and feeling human contact, so long denied by him and yet desired so greatly from this one man. As Rodney pulled away, John ached with an indescribable loss, but he hid it well.

But his desire had not stayed hidden.

Now, two weeks from the day they had first met, John stroked his hand along the silken flesh of Rodney's thigh and hip, smiling as Rodney murmured in sleepy appreciation of his touch.

Within a single twenty-four hour period, John had seen the worst and the best of Rodney McKay, from the boyish enthusiasm and fearlessness as they played with the shield, to the doom-laden uncertainty when the shield failed to deactivate. Within the space of three hours, he had watched Rodney rise from the depths of cowardice to the heights of heroism. As a soldier, John knew he was expected to die for his people and his country should the need arise, but Rodney was no soldier; he was a scientist. A very clever scientist who understood all too well the danger that he was walking into and that made his willing sacrifice all the greater in John's eyes. For here was a man who had faced death head on, silently taking his life into his hands and plunging into darkness without pomp and ceremony with only one goal in mind, that of saving his friends and colleagues.

When the darkness disappeared through the Stargate, leaving Rodney lying deathly still on the floor of the gate room, John had felt equally dead inside, only coming back to life when Weir found a weak pulse. Later, he’d insisted on being the one to escort Rodney back to the living quarters the scientist had selected, mentally commanding the door open on their approach and mentally locking it after they passed over the threshold.

Token resistance met his first kiss as he grabbed Rodney and pulled him hard against his own body, mouth hungrily devouring Rodney's until Rodney relaxed in his arms and began kissing back. Tongues battling and dueling, they fought for supremacy until Rodney submitted and let John claim him. His hands worked the jacket off Rodney's shoulders before easing beneath the blue t-shirt to caress warm flesh, barely noticing how agile fingers reciprocated until Rodney was encouraging him to remove his own dark t-shirt. John stripped it over his head in one swift movement, grinning when Rodney did likewise with his shirt. Hands fumbled at his belt and zipper, tugging down his pants before reaching inside his boxers; his own hands just as busy. John moaned as hot fingers wrapped around his hard and aching erection, leaning in to swallow Rodney's moans of pleasure as he returned the caress.

That first time had been clumsy and frantic, with fingers gliding with almost brutal strength as they brought each other to fulfillment, sagging against each other as the power of their climax took the strength from their muscles, turning legs to Jello. They’d collapsed upon Rodney's bed, with pants caught around their knees, allowing passionate kisses to mellow into deep possession before they parted to strip off the final barriers of clothing.

Now, the morning after, their bodies freshly showered and sheets refreshed, John pulled Rodney into his arms and kissed him lightly, feeling a familiar electricity race across his flesh as they touched. This time they made love slowly, with deep kisses and long strokes, moving against each other, meeting thrust for thrust and sobbing in pleasure as hot semen spurted between their close-pressed bodies.

As he gazed at Rodney's profile, seeing the smile curving kiss-swollen lips, John thought about the choices he had made. Yes, his arrival in Atlantis had set in motion events that would impact against a whole galaxy. And yes, he had regrets and misgivings about some of the things he’d done in the last two weeks, but the one thing he would never regret was the weight of Rodney's warm, sated body in his arms.

THE END


End file.
